Thornton Heath man accused of starting three fires in the Whitgift Centre toilets, causing thousands of pounds of damage

One of the fires caused major damaged to a toilet cubicle in the Whitgift Centre (Image: David Berman)

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A man from Thornton Heath has denied accusations that he started a series of fires in toilet cubicles inside Croydon's Whitgift Centre.

Lee Strudwick, of Kensington Avenue, was arrested on Tuesday (October 10) on suspicion of arson inside the mall and was charged on the same day after a security guard identified him as the suspect.

The fires are said to have been deliberately started inside men's toilet cubicles on the ground floor of the shopping centre, in the town centre, on Saturday, September 30, Tuesday, October 3 and Friday, October 6.

Strudwick, 47, is accused of setting fire to a toilet roll dispenser using a lighter each time, causing a total of £6,200 worth of damage, a court heard today (Wednesday, October 11).

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"On the third occasion, staff found smoke pouring out of the doors of the gentlemen's toilets and they put out the flames with a fire extinguisher," Claudius Taylor-Sonko, prosecuting, told Croydon Magistrates' Court.

"The damage on this occasion was quite substantial.

"The cubicle was partly destroyed by flames and smoke and will need to be replaced at a cost of £6,000."

Mr Taylor-Sonko added that the Whitgift Centre estimates the other two fires caused around £100 of damage each.

"While there was only minor damage involved in the first two instances, I must make it clear that the offences all took place during the daytime when the centre was quite busy," he added.

"During these times, the toilets and the centre - which are community facilities - were open to the public.

"When Strudwick was arrested, he was found with a lighter in the toilets at the centre - had police not acted so swiftly, it would be likely that we were dealing with four counts of arson today."